Manchester United headed for a record-breaking season?
ESPNSoccernet, Gabriele Marcotti - 14 Jan 2013
After Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday, Man U now have 55 points from 22 league games. Project that out over a season and we're talking 95 points, which would equal the top-flight record set by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 2004-05.
What's remarkable here is that the club have amassed so many points without playing anywhere near their potential. All those early-season comebacks are not what we usually associate with a dominant club. Nor do teams with a defense as statistically leaky as United's -- they've conceded as many as Sunderland and more than the likes of West Ham, Stoke and Swansea -- usually win games at such a pace.
The thing is, on paper at least, Untied can get better. A lot better. And that's the scary part.
Late in the game Sunday, Liverpool had them against the ropes, as Sir Alex Ferguson himself admitted afterwards. And there are plenty of areas where this team can still improve, including keeper David De Gea, who is just 22, and Tom Cleverley in midfield. Nemanja Vidic has started only four games since his return. The more he plays -- provided he stays injury-free -- the more likely he is to return to the form that made him one of the very best central defenders in the world. And, of course, Wayne Rooney has been sidelined since just before Christmas, but with him in the side United are even more potent going forward.
The good news for United fans is that even if Robin Van Persie has a dip in his stratospheric form, there are plenty of other guys who have yet to fire on all cylinders who can step up. If that happens -- and United do manage to go to the next level -- this may yet be a record-breaking season in the Premier League.